Immiria
Immiria Immiria, otherwise known as the ‘Corpselands’, is the de-facto religious authority in Nevandaar. It is a kingdom that is ruled by a combination of the church, and the crown. The nation is split between three major religious bodies, the church of the Highfather, the church of Purist, and the church of Others. Each of these religious bodies has as much sway over the kingdom as the governor himself. However, the church of the Highfather is oftentimes recognized as the true authority of Immiria. It is formed of large stretches of grassy planes, hills and forests. There are a great deal of natural basins which makes flooding a large issue, as such most the settlements are built either on hills, near the seaside, or on artificially heightened and terraformed land. The land is famed for several historical events that took place during the War of Attrition. It is also well known for its close proximity to the Exanimate plane, making the phenomenon of undeath and necrotic magics very prevalent within Immiria; the culture of Immiria glorifies death, and as such it is one major kingdom of Nevandaar where necromancy is not only legal, but encouraged. The Teetering Isles, which are home to the Drow following the Ashfall Incident, are also considered part of Immiria. Representatives from the isles can oftentimes be found at political summons in the kingdom. Inhabitants Immiria is inhabited by a wide array of races. Many people come from around the world to Immiria for several reasons, such as to serve the church of the Highfather, have their loved ones buried in the Corpselands, or pursue necromantic pursuits legally. Many people here are Zealot Barbarians, Grave and Death Clerics, Way of the Long Death Monks, Paladins, Divine Soul Sorcerers, Celestial and Undying Warlocks and above all, Necromancy Wizards. The major races found in cities are: Humans, Aarakockra, Kenku and Aasimar. There are numerous goblin legions found within the Immirian countryside, meaning Hobgoblins, Bugbears and Goblins are also quite numerous within cities (but are often stigmatized). Whilst there are family names in Immiria, those who belong to the Church of the Highfather refuse to use them. Instead opting to use their position in the church as their signifier. For example, instead of calling himself Joe Bloggs, he might call himself: Joe, born of breath. Ruler Few people know who the true ruler of Immiria is, some claim it to be the democratically elected governor of Dawnspire, Augustus Plaguebane. Others claim it is the various churches around Immiria that holds the true political power. Necromancy in Immiria Due to its close proximity to the Exanimate Plane, necrotic energies are more easily harnessed here than any other nation in Nevandaar. It is not uncommon to see skeletons or zombies hard at work throughout the kingdom, manual labour and unsanitary jobs are almost always populated exclusively by risen servants. However, Necromancy is still highly monitored. All risen dead must be scrutinized and accepted by the Council of Reanimated Persons, Services and Ethics, they are then given a unique collar to indicate they have been approved for existence. Undead that are approved by the organisation have a copious amount of bureaucratic paperwork, all matters revolving around necromancy are often shrouded in files, forms and documentation. Should undead be found that are not approved, they will immediately be purged. These special undead are oftentimes measured and clothed, with particularly gruesome specimens wearing masks so as not to shock or frighten citizens. Necromancy is used often for foul play in Immiria too, with its lax laws on the matter and general acceptance it is quite easy for a necromancer to raise a small army without so much as a disturbance. The fields of corpses and graveyards just add to this fact. For this reason (amongst many others), a large number of Paladins and Grave Clerics are ready at any given moment to ride into the countryside and purge it of any such unregistered undead. Churches of Immiria The Church of the Highfather The Church of the Highfather is the largest church in Immiria. It boasts an enormous congregation, and is renown worldwide as the largest organised religion that still worships an Old God. They receive a large amount of benefits from the Immirian government in exchange for several services. They do not pay taxes, receive tithes from the government, own a prestigious amount of land and act as the standing army of Immiria. The Church of the Highfather worships the Highfather, a divine entity who begat the War of Attrition and eventually gave his life to it. This is why Immiria celebrates death to the extent that it does, in his name. They believe that once they die, assuming they lived a pious and (mostly) sin-free life, they will be reunited with the Highfather in the Eternal Citadel. They hold many merits as a religion, and are known for their immense military might, it is even said that sometimes angels will join them in the field of battle. To join the church, one must be born into it, or go through a ritual that can be performed at any chapel of the Highfather. The ritual involves the removal of sin through bile, acolytes induce vomiting in the soon-to-be-member through various potions and salves. The now sin-free person is then allowed into one of the lower branches of the church. Those born into the church are born into the branches that their parents inhabit. Those born outside of the church must wait until they are an adult until they try and join. There are several branches of the church: Highfathers Breath, Highfathers Sight, Highfathers Rest, Highfathers Steel, Highfathers Blood, Highfathers Mind, Highfathers Heart etc. Identifying someones branch is easy, as they will often refer to themselves as: (firstname), born of (branch). Such as Maltith, born of Breath; or Smeek, born of Blood. The Church of Purist The Church of Purist is the second largest church in Immiria. It is known throughout the lands as the healing-magic authority in the world, and is oftentimes sending out missionaries to places rife with disease or sickness to heal or cleanse. The Church of Purist, as well as focussing on healing and the removal of sickness, is also well known for its hatred of damaging magics - oftentimes acolytes will wear ordained runes of anti-magic on their robes. The Church of Purist is oftentimes used as social services or aid in Immiria, they staff public places of healing, community projects etc. The Church of Purist worships Purist, a once battle-medic who was infused with the power of the Highfather following his death, becoming one of the first New Gods. It is this reason that the Church of the Highfather sees them as kin in place of foe, as they both worship the same fundamental energies. The church believes in purity above all else, they wear perfectly-white robes over their spotless heavy armour, they cleanse and clean their kit and their body in an almost ritualistic fashion, they despise any kinds of sickness or taint and above all they consider themselves to be pure in mind. The Church of Purist is very utilitarian, and so when they find a disease or taint they cannot cure, they instead cleanse the source. Whilst they are renown worldwide for their healing prowess, they will never actively send members of their church into harms way. Oftentimes they cite to new acolytes that it is better for the sick to die than a church member become stricken with the ailment. To join the Church of Purist, one simply has to confess to his sins and be 'purified' at any major chapel of the religion. The purification ritual involves locking the subject in a giant cast-iron bell which is filled with sickly-sweet incense, after three hours of inhaling the odours they are let out and allowed into the church. Any that try and leave the bell before the ritual finishes, or dies during said ritual, are not considered to be members of the church and are either asked to leave or buried. The Church of Other The Church of the Other is the third, final, and smallest church in Immiria. The Church of Other is featured in just about every settlement like the Church of the Highfather & Purist, however its followers are minimal in Immiria. In effect, the Church of Other serves as a place where people from other faiths can worship their gods in a public space, and attend religious ceremonies / events that pertain to that particular religion. This means that someone who worships Maelrawn might well be sitting side by side with someone who worships Cyric. The Church of Other is not taxed and still retains a large political presence, but they are seen as the smallest and weakest of the three major religious organisations. The Church of Other worships whoever the followers so wish. Oftentimes it is frequented by tourists or foreigners who have moved to Immria. People who wish to maintain their old faith and not become a member of the Highfather or Purists' church. Council of Reanimated Persons, Services and Ethics The Council of Reanimated Persons, Services and Ethics (or CoRPSE for short) is an organisation within Dawnspire that handles the bureaucratic nightmare that is standardizing undeath and necromancy. The Council is tasked with ensuring all necromancy related events / incidents are legal, ethical, do not conflict with either the Church of the Highfather or the Church or Purists agenda, are not dangerous and are taxed. CoRPSE was brought about in Immiria following the War of Attrition. The Exanimate plane was dangerously close to merging with the Prime Material and as such necrotic energies are rampant within the Corpselands. As such, the government and churches decided that the easier thing to do would be to standardize, tax, and accept necromancy in place of trying the impossible task of removing it all together. CoRPSE is also responsible for dealing with any undead threats that exist within Immiria. Small armies of zombies, skeletal hordes and otherwise 'evil' necromancy are often found and dismantled with great prejudice from CoRPSE. Points of Interest Dawnspire (capital) The Bonemill Shallow Woods The Teetering Isles Steelrock Pass Highfathers Rest Church of the Highfather Church of Purist Church of Other People of Interest TODO: Places of Interest Be good at writing